Have you heard? We’re taking over an empty shop in Ventnor for the whole of March and we want you to get involved! Come and visit us any weekend during March or sign up if you want to be part of the team. We can use the space for any creative idea you can think of, and we’re lucky to have the help of the fantastic multidisciplinary artist and musician Jess Ong, who will work with you to help make your ideas a reality! We sat down for a chat to find out a bit more about her.

Can you tell us a bit about you and your creative practice?

I am a lifelong artist and musician, but a very eclectic one… I have always struggled to stick to one discipline! I sing, a lot, play bass and guitar, and experiment with many different forms of visual arts, following what inspires me and brings me the most joy at any given time! I moved to the Isle of Wight from Singapore aged 12, and have mostly been here enjoying our beautiful biosphere and fascinating history ever since.

Over the past few years, working with Island charities to provide creative workshops to local people of all ages and abilities, I have realised that my passion truly lies in using music and art to improve wellbeing. When a human is given the opportunity and support to be unselfconsciously creative, it can have such a positive impact on their mental health, improve their confidence, break down social barriers, and can be a really useful tool in healing from trauma or addiction.

Why did you want to get involved with this project and what are you excited about?

I jumped at the chance to apply for this project, as I especially loved that it would be completely co-produced by the Young People of Brave Island. I think that local authorities would do well to listen to the youth voice, and what they identify as being needed within their communities. With arts funding being cut from schools, the loss of provisions and clubs for young people and the mental health fallout from the pandemic and lockdowns, I wanted to help support young people to create a space and activities that they want to see locally, with the end product and the process itself all benefiting them and their community.

I have been excited to see the ideas that the young people have for this project, and look forward to helping them implement their plans. There is going to be a really great mix of visual art and live music going on, and I can’t wait to get the community playing, creating and enjoying the arts together.

How can people get involved?

There’s still time for young people to sign up to be involved in the decision making and creative stages of this project, they will just need to sign up at Brave Island here. We will also be having drop in days, where anyone can come in and be involved with some art or music, on Saturday 18th, Sunday 19th, Saturday 25th, and Sunday 26th March, all 11am – 5pm.